DIY Gel Nail Kits

Feeling iffy about having to pay the salons a hefty fee for a gel manicure every time you want your nails done? What if you could achieve gel nails in the comfort of your own home, say in front of the TV? Well now with all the different DIY Gel Nail Kits available, that is definitely a possibility! In this article we will be going over DIY Gel Nail Kits and how to use themーso you may want to read on if the idea of being able to get gel nails done while watching Netflix interests you 🙂

What are DIY Gel Nail Kits?

A DIY Gel Nail Kit allows you to achieve gel nails, without having to visit a salon. The kit includes everything that you need in order to apply gel nail polish at home, including the LED/UV light needed for the curing process. How awesome is that? While various brands make different starter gel nail kits, they all generally tend to include the following:

A LED/UV light

A file and buffer

A bottle of acetone solution

Nail cleanser pads

An orange cuticle stick

A gel base coat, top coat and a gel nail color

If you have gotten gel nails done previously at a salon, then you are probably familiar with the steps involved in applying gel nail polish. But of course, we will be listing out the steps here to make sure that everybody is on the same page regarding its application 🙂

How do I use a Gel Nail Kit?

So now you have all the ingredients you need to begin applying gel polish to your nails. Let’s dive right into how to use it!

1.)

As with applying any type of nail polish, you always want to start off with a nice, clean nailー always easier to paint on a smooth palette, right? So go ahead and give your nails a quick wipe down with a lint free pad, make sure there’s no residual polish on your nails.

2.)

Now that your nails are nice and clean, you can shape them to your desired shape with your orange cuticle stick. Or if you are already satisfied with the shape of your nail, then go ahead and skip this step 🙂

3.)

Apply a thin coat of the gel base coat onto your nail, making sure not to have it touch your cuticle. The gel base coat will help to protect your nails, smooth out the surface and help the gel nail polish stick.

4.)

Place your hand under the LED/UV light for 2 minutes to allow the gel base coat to cure and dry.

5.)

Apply a thin layer of gel color onto your nails. Don’t worry if the color seems different from what you want, we will be applying multiple layers to achieve the desired appearance.

6.)

Place your hand under the LED/UV light for 2 minutes to allow the gel color layer to cure and dry.

7.)

Repeat steps 5 and 6 two to three times to achieve full color and coverage of your nails with the gel color polish.

8.)

Seal and protect the newly painted color by applying a thin layer of gel top coat onto your nails.

9.)

Place your hand under the LED/UV light for 2 minutes to allow the gel top coat to cure and dry.

10.)

There may be a tacky surface on top of your nails after you’ve completed the last step. Simply wipe it off using nail cleanser or rubbing alcohol on a lint-free pad.

11.)

Admire your newly done gel nails 🙂

Tip: Applying a layer of Vaseline to the skin around your nails will help to prevent any gel nail polish from getting onto your skin during the application process.

Which Gel Nail Kit should I get?

The different gel nail kits available in the market are pretty much the same, despite being made by different nail polish companies. The only thing you may wish to consider when selecting a kit, is the brand’s selection of gel polish colors. Most often than not, the products included in the kit (eg. top coat, base coat, etc) are formulated to work optimally with their own brand of products. For example, if you have a Gelish nail kit, it may be best to stick with a Gelish gel nail polish and not a Sally Hensen gel nail polish. It may therefore be worthwhile to check out the various gel colors available from a brand before choosing to purchase a kit. 🙂

Also keep in mind, that not all gel polishes cure or dry the same way. Some brands may require the use of a LED light while others, a UV light. There are also various formulas made by different companies that are advertised to “air-dry”, neither requiring a UV nor a LED light. The SMX Gel Effect Nail Polish is an example of such a product.

Where do they sell Gel Nail Kits?

You’d be surprised where they don’t sell them! Gel Nail Kits should be available in most stores that stock and sell nail polish. Ulta or Sephora stores are also popular choices. Or if you’re more into online shopping, then Amazon is probably your best betーthey sell most, if not all of the different brands of kits available.

Conclusion

So are DIY Gel Nail Kits worth it? We’d like to think so! No more having to visit the nail salon for your gel manicures, now you can have pretty gel nails done in the comfort of your own home. 🙂

Welcome to Oh My Nail Polish, here you’ll find the latest in fashion trends, in-depth product reviews, and a plethora of fashion tips and tricks to keep you moving fashion-forward in the nail polish world. We pride ourselves on making nail polish fashion easy and accessible for all of our readers, and we’ll always do our best to keep you looking luxurious!

Fashion

If you’re looking for the cutting edge in nail polish fashion, you’ve come to the right place. We know how much time you spend trying to figure out which fashions are trendy and which ones are true iconic classics. That’s why we dive into each trend to bring you the unbiased details.

Product Reviews

We’ll keep you informed of new products, and we’ll provide you with honest reviews that say more than what you’d find on most product reviews. We understand that your time is valuable, which is why our reviews are more holistic providing you with no-nonsense product reviews.